Pilots
by Soyna
Summary: Reno has to pick up another pilot to help the WRO start a new space program.  Reno doesn't want anything to do with because of their broken past. -See Warnings inside -


**PILOTS**

* * *

**By**: Albedosreqium / Soyna

**Setting:**  
After Dirge and Advent are all said and done.  
**Rating, Genre and Warnings:  
**Mature

**Disclaimer:  
**All related Final Fantasy names and characters are copyrighted by the almighty Square Enix©. I do not profit from this endeavour.  
**Summary and Additional Information  
**VVKiti is a spoiled spoiled girl.

She was feeling sorry for Reno because I wasn't allowing him to get any. Well, this story didn't turn out the way I thought it would. The men are just too stubborn to cooperate but, read on if you are curious anyway. I know I would be.

* * *

It was Reno's fifth cigarette since he landed the helicopter. He hated the fact that he was in this situation and hated the fact that Rufus and Tseng told him to come here. He hated it even more that he was alone.

He wanted nothing to do with this town; he wanted nothing to do with the man that was in the town. He wanted nothing to do with this whole situation, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

He looked at the small town, towards the house he didn't want to deal with and waited. Reno knew that he was most likely waiting for him to walk and go knocking on his door. He knew that the insufferable man was most likely being smug about things and thought that he would give in first and come to him. Well, he wasn't. He wasn't going to go back on the words he had said back then and wouldn't give in to him.

He wasn't that weak of a man. He told the jerk that he wasn't coming back and he was not going to knock on that door even if Tseng put a gun to his head. It was the principle of the thing.

He finished the cigarette when he finally saw a figure approaching. He looked at his watch. It had been at least three hours he had been waiting by his helicopter and Reno would have waited three more years if he had to.

He pulled out another cigarette when the figure grew near. He stiffened at the familiar shadowy shape. He was carrying his large weapon that was held in a ready stance at his side.

"He never changes," Reno muttered.

He waited for him to get closer. He could see the man had a cigarette in his mouth as well, and he reached his other hand up to pull it out from beneath his lips. "Wuss." The gruff and smoke-raspy voice spoke.

"Moron," Reno responded back as he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth.

"Whatcha doin' 'ere?"

Reno gave Cid a fleeting look. Cid had aged a little since the last time he got a good look at him, but it didn't make him look any less distinguished. His blond hair was peppered with grey and the color seeped into his scruffy, unshaven face. Reno could barely stand to look at those narrowed but still bright blue eyes. He diverted his gaze and found himself staring at Cid's chest. Cid had kept himself in pretty good shape and the snug T-shirt showed off the fact that he still had a strong chest and a flat stomach.

Reno wouldn't expect anything less from the spear-wielder. Reno knew that Cid still knew how to handle that spear as though he were in his prime.

"Yo, did Reeve call you?" Reno simply asked, as he lifted the new smoke back to his lips and averted his eyes.

"Yeah. We had a little chat. Still doesn't explain why yer skinny ass is 'ere," Cid said. He didn't move any closer and Reno was fine with that. It was better that way.

"If ya talked to Reeve, then even your thick skull shoulda had an idea of why I'm here, yo," Reno said simply.

"I haven't agreed ta anythin'," Cid said. "An' why'd they reckon that sendin' _you_'d be a good idear?"

Reno looked at Cid and gave him a glare. "Quit bein' a damn ass!" Years of old anger was rising up in him at the blond Captain. "Don't act like it's nothin'."

Cid grunted and leaned on his spear. "See yeh still got a bug up yer ass."

"See that ya still got that spear up yours, yo," Reno grumbled as he moved away from the chopper and from Cid. He didn't want to be near Cid like this. It was almost overbearing to be so close to him. He hated that he found the man even more alluring than he had been in the past. He knew that he should have been over it. It was so long ago but with him being so close, it was bringing back thoughts and images of things that should have been long buried in the past.

"Did yeh think I'd jump on the chopper an' climb back into yer arms?" Cid grumbled.

"Yo, I want nothin' to do with ya," Reno snapped and turned towards the man. He knew that he was gripping his EMR tightly and wanting to use it. "I'm not here 'cause I wanna be!"

Cid smiled at him as he lifted up his spear off the ground and lazily swirled it at his side in large swoops. "Do ya need yer ass kicked?"

"Like you could," Reno whispered but raised his EMR. He wanted to hit the man - hard. If the bastard wanted to fight, he was going to beat the shit out of him. Just the chance to lay the hurt on the selfish bastard would have been worth any of the trouble he was going to get in later.

"I think it's been done in the past," Cid said as he tilted his head and smirked around his cigarette.

"Ya had partners to help ya out, yo," Reno defended. "It's just mano-a-mano now." He swirled his EMR and took a combat stance and watched Cid do the same.

Reno tried not to let his heart speed up at the sight. He tried not to think about how good those muscles looked bunched underneath that shirt and how much more defined his legs were.

"Yeh think ya can do it?" Cid said. "I don't think yeh can."

"Shut up!" Reno yelled and lunged forward. His blow was blocked easily by Cid's spear and Cid knew enough to back off quickly before he could set the weapon to spark.

"You're still a pompous moron!" Reno yelled and tried to get a hit in, but Cid easily jumped back, using his spear as a pole to move out of the way. He yelled as he swung his activated EMR at him, hoping for a shot to down him.

"Yeh still dun get it," Cid yelled as he twirled the spear. Reno was forced to sway to the side and was grateful that he was flexible enough to avoid the lunge. He twisted, raising his EMR and connecting with the spear.

Cid screamed and he heard the man drop to the ground with a hard grunt.

Reno smirked and grabbed the spear and tossed it aside. He looked down at the twitching body. "Finally got ya, ya bastard."

Cid groaned but didn't move from his spot on the ground. He lay flat on his back and stared at the sky. "Yeah, yeh got me," Cid said breathlessly. Reno didn't like that look in his eyes or the curve of his lips. "So, whatcha gonna do with me?"

"You ain't gonna get off that easy, Highwind," Reno said. "This isn't a fuckin' game."

Cid grunted and sat up but didn't try to get to his feet. "Thought yeh could forgive me by now." Cid was staring at the ground as he said that.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Reno yelled. He wanted to take his EMR and shock some sense into that thick skull. "Ya never apologized once for bein' a fuckin' moron."

Cid sat silently. Reno waited for an answer from the man.

"Is it … too late?" Cid didn't look up but Reno could see that he was tense. Did he really mean it? The man hadn't even come close to apologizing for the incident that happened after the rocket failed.

Even if it felt pretty damn good for sending the man crashing to the ground.

He knew the man had been disappointed that his dream had been crushed, but that didn't mean that he had to treat him like a piece of trash. It wasn't his choice to start drinking his life away and throwing fists around. Reno decided that it was easier to ask with another question. "So, are ya gonna help out?"

"Was thinkin' 'bout it," Cid said and gave him a crooked smile. "Maybe another chance to get up in ta space. Pretty hard ta turn it down."

"So ya think if ya get a chance to go to space again, ya deserve another chance with me?" Reno snorted. "Is that it, yo?"

"I wasn't thinkin' 'bout space when I got the phone call," Cid said, moving to sit cross-legged on the packed earth. He reached up to his goggles for his cigarette pack and pulled out another smoke.

Reno watched him light his cigarette and inhale the first of the smoke. Reno didn't like how his body and his own thoughts were betraying him. He was supposed to be angry at the jerk. Cid had done nothing to change the fact that he pushed him aside when his dream crumbled around him. It wasn't his fault the mission failed. Hearing Cid curse at him and tell him that he wasn't worth having around because he couldn't achieve his goal was bullshit.

Those drunken words and the drunken fight that ensued because of it was something that Reno always had in the back of his thoughts. It was the reason he had not returned to Rocket Town and had prevented him from having to deal with the man.

Reno had tried to be there for Cid at a time that he thought the man would want and need his support, only to get thrown on his ass and called an opportunistic bastard. He didn't understand half the slurred words that came out of the moron's mouth. He understood that Cid was jealous of the fact that Reno was still flying, while his own wings were clipped. He had tried to tell him that it didn't matter to him that he couldn't make it into space. Cid was still a high ranking Captain in the air force division. Nothing he said seemed to help and all he had done was anger Cid further. Reno found himself rubbing his cheek where he had been hit.

He remembered seeing stars and losing two of his molars because of that punch.

Reno hadn't looked back until he met the man on the battle field when they were on opposing sides instead of the same. He wanted nothing more than to see the man fail, but found it hard to oppose him.

He had thought that he was over him.

"So, what were ya thinkin' 'bout," Reno asked, after he saw that Cid was nearly done with the cigarette.

"How fuckin' stupid I was," Cid said. "'Cuz I was a royal moron."

Reno stood as though he had been stunned, as though he was shocked by his own EMR. Cid admitting that he was an idiot was something that he wished he had taped so he could listen to that confession over and over again.

"Did yeh hear me?" Cid said, looking up at him.

Reno tried to refrain from smiling. "Nope. Ya better repeat that." Reno tried to keep the humour out of his voice. Cid was not known for apologizing and this was a pleasant treat. It was candy for his ears.

"Yeh developed a problem with yer ears?"

"Must've," Reno said as he looked down at the man. "Care to repeat what you said, yo?"

Cid let out a big breath with the last of his cigarette smoke. "I said that I was sorry, ya dumbass."

"Are ya?"

Cid looked up and for once Reno thought there was a sincere look on his face. A look that he had only seen once before on the man and it made Reno's chest hurt.

Reno held his hand down to Cid. "You're still a jackass."

"Yer still a twerp," Cid responded, but took Reno's hand and allowed him to haul him up.

Reno wanted to push him away at the same time pull him closer. Reno tried to remove his hand from his firm grip, but Cid increased his hold. "So, can we start over?" Cid asked; his voice was low.

He looked into Cid's face and swallowed hard. He never thought he would forgive him for being so selfish and very much a jerk. He had promised himself that he wouldn't fall for the trap again and he would move on with his life.

Even though he had not been able to.

He would not fall for the crooked smile.

Cid leaned into him and Reno pulled back. "I'm not that easy." Reno snorted but still held his hand.

"What'll yeh have me do?" Cid said. "Ta let me have a kiss again?"

Reno nervously smiled, torn between wanting to punch him in the gut and kissing the bastard.

"Yer smile hasn't changed." His free hand reached up and Reno let him touch and caress his cheek. Reno tried hard not to lean into the touch but was finding it difficult. Cid smiled back and Reno felt his heart skip a beat.

"Neither has yours," Reno added and gave into the touch of that leather glove against his cheek.

"So are you going to let me kiss ya?" Cid asked and leaned a little closer.

"Jerk," Reno whispered but found himself licking his lips and leaning closer into the stupid man. "I still hate ya, yo,"

Cid gave a small grunt and closed the distance between them and Reno found their lips touching. Cid didn't force the kiss like he often did in the past. He moved his lips and softly guided his to open with his own. It made Reno reach his tongue forward to taste the cheap cigarettes and draw the other man's tongue out to play.

Reno let his eyes close and the kiss deepened. Cid was gentle as he pushed his tongue forward. Reno remembered all the times that they spent together before their disastrous break-up. It didn't bother Reno that much anymore. Not with the treatment of the man's mouth on his own.

They broke apart the kiss. "I missed yeh." Cid whispered and suddenly he was surrounded by the other man's arms. "I was too thick-skulled ta suck it up like a fuckin' man an' admit that I was a moron."

Reno smiled. "So you're sayin' that you're a moron?"

Cid gave a light chuckle. "Smartass."

"Jerk."

Cid released him from the hug but still held his hand firmly. Reno found himself licking his lips. "You're smokin' crappy smokes again."

"Yeah, well, town's store only carries crap," Cid said as he pulled the pack of smokes out of his goggles. "Can't get good stuff unless I get ta Junon."

"Isn't that where they want me to take you, yo?" Reno asked, surprised that his hand was still clutched in Cid's. He had been so against being the one to come here. He didn't want to face the man, but it most likely was a mistake to let the jerk come back into his life like this.

But then, life was full of chances and changes.

"Reno?"

He looked to Cid who was waving his hand in front of his face. "Yeh disappeared into la-la-land there." Cid looked a little concerned and his gloved hand reached up and caressed his cheek again. Reno didn't fight it and fell into the touch.

"So, yo," Reno whispered, "comin' with me?" He tried to sound confident but his voice failed him.

"Am I still a jerk?"

"Of course," Reno said and squeezed the hand, hating and loving the smug smile on the bastard's face. "Do ya think a kiss will make up for bein' such a moron?"

"There's a lotta other things I can do ta yeh ta make it up for yeh," Cid whispered and stood close to him. The other hand stroked his back like he used to when he was agitated to get him to calm down.

"Fuckin' hate you," Reno moaned with no venom in his voice.

Cid gave a low chuckle and leaned into him with another kiss. This time it was more forceful, what he was used to feeling from Cid; a kiss that he missed.

When he felt a hand on his ass and squeeze, Reno pulled away from the lips. "Yo, I want a few things before ya go there," Reno yelled.

"I don't have ta start courtin' ya all over again, do I?" Cid said with a smile.

"Darn right ya will, ya jerk!" Reno snapped. "I want dinner, movie and fuckin' breakfast in bed, yo."

"Why do yeh always gotta be difficult?" Cid said but wrapped his arms around his waist as they walked to the helicopter.

"Because you're a moron, yo." Reno wished he could still be angry at the man. Anger was an easier emotion to deal with than the other feelings that he thought he had pushed aside. "And I'm serious, 'bout wantin' dinner, movie and breakfast in bed, yo."

Cid laughed a deep rolling laugh that warmed Reno's chest. "Well, we better be headin' ta Junon."

"So, you're takin' the job?"

Cid nodded. "As long as yeh'll have me back," Cid said. "I'll try not ta screw it up this time."

Reno looked at the handsomely grizzled face. "As long as I'll have you back?"

"I refused the job if yeh were still mad at me," Cid said. "Couldn't bear workin' there if yeh were still angry."

"I'm still angry at ya," Reno said. Cid gave him a concerned look. Reno refrained from smiling. He knew he was being suckered in again and in three months he was most likely going to hate himself. They had never had the healthiest of relationships, but it was always interesting.

"Ya got any luggage?" Reno asked as he forced himself to pull away from Cid as he moved to enter his chopper.

Reno yelped as Cid slapped his ass. "Everythin' I want is right 'n front of my face."

Reno was not one to blush easily, but then, Cid was just about the only one that could make his face turn red. He looked back to the blond man whose smile was bright and his eyes were, indeed, on his ass. Reno didn't think before he reacted and he kicked out, planting his shoe firmly on Cid's face.

Cid staggered back and held his nose. "Wha the fuck was that fer?"

"Yo, I lost two molars and you're starin' at my ass," Reno said. "Ya need to learn to be more subtle."

"I was gonna take ya out for a nice dinner!" Cid said as he still held his nose. Reno could see blood dribbling out from behind his hand.

"Still can if ya can stop starin' at my ass," Reno said as he went to the pilot seat. He turned to see Cid in the co-pilot seat. Reno absently passed him a tissue that he held to his face.

"I can't promise anythin'," Cid said through the kerchief as he wiped his face. Cid leaned forward and despite his bloody nose, gave him a kiss. "Yeh've got more fire now."

Reno gave a small grunt in response. "Ya better not be such a moron 'cause, I'm not gonna tolerate any of that shit."

"Do I hafta stick my tongue in yer yap ta shut ya up an' fly? We need to get ta Junon and I hafta find a place to stay," Cid said.

"You don't have a place?"

"Nope," Cid said as he sat in his seat, not looking in the least bit bothered. "Yer bossman said he would set somethin' up."

Reno started to go through the protocols of starting the chopper. He knew where Cid would be expected to stay, and Tseng and Rufus most likely had a big hand in this whole thing.

Reno had no doubts about that there was something already set up and no doubt that Cid was going to end up in his flat and he was going to end up underneath the man by the end of the day.

He still was going to snap at Tseng and Rufus for sending him. He was also going to pay Reeve a visit for doing this. They had better have at least the illusion that they got Cid an apartment or a hotel room. If not, Rufus' wheelchair was going to be rolled down a hill once the brakes were removed.

He would find other things to torment the other two with.

A warm hand fell on his knee and he looked to the blond owner. "I really do have everythin' that I need right 'ere," Cid said, speaking in a soft voice and with a look of sincerity that he had never seen on him before.

"Yeah, well," Reno said as he flipped through some switches. "Ya throw another tantrum like ya did before," Reno said and turned to glare at him, "and I'll make sure ya learn to fly without a parachute, yo."

Cid removed his hand but was still smiling. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

:iconvvkiti:'s FAULT.  
I shall call this pairing, Rewind!  
And it seems that I have started to ship Cid with nearly everyone! O.O'

Dear Gaia. I am never going to write two men with heavy accents again. Thanks Ziggy. This would have been horrible without your help!


End file.
